


Bee in Underland

by ArtisticAlpaca



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Cute, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, General Adventure, Mettaton EX, Multi, OC has chronic illnesses, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Scientist W. D. Gaster, Slice of Life, Slowish build, bugfix, do not let it fool you, it will get dark and heart wrenching
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-07-18 08:10:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7306924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtisticAlpaca/pseuds/ArtisticAlpaca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>W.D Gaster is old, worn and tired. He needed to find a way to prevent Frisk from resetting so often and changing the ending however they chose. So, he found a human closest to his configurations to bring to the Underground. With her being in the Underground Frisk will need consent in order to reset.</p><p>What he didn't expect was Flowey to use his little 'BugFix' to his advantage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Her Name's Not Alice

**Author's Note:**

> Edited by my friend: the-amething on tumblr!
> 
> I had such a positive response for the art I did for self insert week; that I decided to write a fanfic based on it. 
> 
> Also, I'm still learning how to format everything for Ao3 so, please be patient with me. It's been forever since I posted on a site like this.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr. artistic-alpaca.tumblr.com I post the illustrated version there!

Alice fell down the rabbit hole; May 4th, 1865.  
  
However; as quantum physics has taught us... Anything can happen, at anytime and anywhere for no apparent reason.  
  
And this is why history is doomed to repeat itself in some form and fashion.  


"Brianna, we're going to be late! We gotta get back!" the young boy called out to his sister.

"Hey, come on, we just got here! I need to get this shot. I could totally win a ribbon this year!"

"Fine, whatever. Just hurry. I'll wait here! Be careful," he groaned as he flopped down on the grass below him.

The young woman waved to her brother as she set off into the dense forest area, Polaroid in hand. It was rough going- she had to squeeze between rocks and climb over trees which had been blown down during the last storm.  
  
_At least it's a cool day,_ she thought as she slumped against a tree trunk. If it had been humid and hot, she probably wouldn't have bothered.

Picking herself up, she hummed a soft tune as she walked and hiked through the forest. Brianna had been told about the strange rumors that surrounded her family's property. She wasn't afraid, though. She had been to this area so many times, she couldn't muster fear if she tried.  
  
The area she has wanted to photograph was a creek that led into a beautiful waterfall. Usually after a strong rainstorm the waterfall would be rushing with a roar and beautiful flow of water. It was going to be perfect.  
  
She had almost reached her destination when she heard a cry for help. She had been told that there wouldn’t be any hikers today. But, she also knew on occasion their property was used for LARPing without notice. Perhaps someone got lost.  
  
Brianna perked up and strained her ears. When she heard the cry again, she set off as quickly as her legs could carry her. The voice had sounded very young and her maternal instincts turned on. She wasn't a particularly violent person, but she was ready to fight if need be.  
  
A number of negative scenarios played in her head. A kidnapper... a murderer... or maybe something worse. But she gritted her teeth and tried to prepare for each of them.  
  
As she ran, she dropped her Polaroid. She didn't even slow down- someone's life meant more than a camera. She could always come back for it later.  
  
Brianna only stopped when she saw a small figure. They were perched upon their knees, bent over as they cried for help.  
  
Her eyes flicked over the child's green and yellow striped shirt. _No blood, thank God._

_It's only a lost child. I can handle this._

“Hey, shhh... it’s alright. Are you lost?” she asked as she carefully approached the child. She tried to keep her body language non-threatening.

Then she felt something shift underneath her. The child giggled and stood up, a wicked grin on its face.

_Crack!_

The ground opened up underneath her and sent her tumbling down.

 

 

She cried for help.

But, nobody came.

 

Brianna fell for what felt like forever. All she could hear was the sound of the wind as it rushed past her head. It wasn’t until she closed her eyes that she felt herself hit something.

It was soft, at first. Then she shifted her position and felt the pricks and prods of some kind of plant.

Brianna looked down and saw a huge blanket of golden flowers. She blinked as she took in their scent. Once it filled her nostrils, she could barely recall how she had fallen. She just remembered a voice.

She pushed herself up and got onto her knees as she looked around to observe her new environment. She heard the rushing of a nearby water feature.  
  
  
_A stream? Or maybe a waterfall? Am I in the caverns under my house?_  
  
  
She was pulled out of her thoughts by a voice. It was sweet, but something about it sent a chill down her spine.  


“Oh... a human?!"

“Great… it’s one of _those_ days.” Brianna grumbled softly. She rubbed her head and turned to the direction she had heard the voice.

“Oh, you are a human! Hello! I’m Flowey the flower!” The flower lifted himself up to get a better look at the human before him. “You’re much taller than the previous human! And you can talk! What a delight!”

Brianna felt panic well up in her. She didn’t like how this conversation was going. Nor did she like the look in the creature's eyes. He looked innocent enough, but she'd learned the hard way that appearances could be deceiving. She tried to stand up, to run- somewhere, _anywhere_ \- but she couldn’t bring her body to move. Almost like she was frozen where she sat.

“You must be new to the Underground, huh?” Flowey continued. There was a nasty undertone in his voice. “I guess you’ll need to be filled in on what this place is!”

Brianna wanted to speak, but couldn't. What was wrong with her?

“This is the Underground!" he continued. "It’s where us monsters live. Down here, you can interact with us monsters. I’ll show you how!”

A sudden sharp pain lanced through Brianna's body, and she felt something being torn away from her. The pain was soon followed by a wave of fatigue. She staggered, almost falling on her back, before she braced herself against the ground with her hands.

She looked up, panting, and saw a pastel pink heart floating before her. What was going on?

“This is your soul!" Flowey chirped, an ugly grin growing on his face. "This is the very culmination of your being! It can be used in many ways! Love, healing, fighting... and gaining LOVE! Let me show you how you can gain LOVE!” Flowey giggled as he summoned a ring of white pellets around Brianna's heart.

Brianna squirmed. He was planning something, and she knew it was something bad.

“Just catch the pellets of LOVE.”

Brianna watched as a few pellets flew at her heart.

 

 __  
  
He's toying with me...

She focused, willing her heart to move, the pellets drawing closer and closer... and it did. It lurched upward, dodging the first pellet- and slamming directly into two more.

Brianna bit her lip and stifled a gasp. It was like getting zapped with a low-level current.

“Come on now…" Flowey laughed. "Don’t fight...” He fired another wave of pellets at her, then a third and a fourth.

Brianna's SOUL slid around in the air as she tried to dodge Flowey's attacks. But he'd obviously been doing this for a long time. The pellets hit her again and again, leaving her gasping with pain. Then as she fell to her hands and knees, vision blurry with pain, she heard Flowey's loud maniacal laughter echo throughout the room.

“Hmm... this time I’ll spare you. You might make my return much more interesting.”

Brianna felt one last jolt pass through her, stronger than ever, and she passed out on the bed of flowers.

Papyrus looked around as he and his brother walked past mounds of trash.

“Of all the places, why would someone be here?” he asked. He and Sans had heard a rumor. Someone had been found unconscious, they were told, and the two brothers were sent to retrieve them.

“Who knows, Pap.” Sans chuckled.  “Let’s just find ‘em and get ‘em back to safety.”  
  
  
Papyrus frowned as he scratched his jaw. This entire day had baffled him. First the earthquake and now this...

He stopped. There was a person there, lying in a heap. He rushed over and gently turned the body over to prevent them from inhaling any more water.

“Sans! It’s a… human?” Papyrus sounded dumbfounded.

Papyrus heard Sans run up and looked over to him. His brother had a look on his face, one he had only seen once before.

Papyrus gently scooped the human into his arms. This was unusual, to say the least. They hadn’t seen a human since Frisk. And Frisk was currently well on their way through the Underground.

“Bro, let’s hurry. We need to get them back to Snowdin. We’ll use my shortcut.” Sans’s voice was still calm, but there was _something_ in his voice. It told Papyrus that it was imperative they get the human out of Waterfall as fast as possible.  
  
  
Papyrus followed his brother down a tunnel he hadn’t noticed before. All at once, he was surrounded by fog. They were back in Snowdin. He felt the human shiver and quake in his arms, and he shifted, yanking his red scarf off and laying it over the human the best he could.

He looked down. This human wasn’t like Frisk. She was older, and paler. Too pale.

“Bro, they’ll be okay.” Sans said.  
  
  
  
  
Papyrus just nodded. He looked ahead and saw their house. Sans opened the door and they immediately walked in.  
  
  
“Get some blankets and pillows,” Papyrus said to Sans as he laid the human on the couch.

“Got it. Looks like this kid's been through a skeleTON of stuff today.”

“Sans…” Papyrus groaned.  
  
  
Sans just smirked, walked to the closet and pulled out the needed blankets, and walked back to his brother.  
  
  
“So, you think that earthquake is what brought this one in?” Papyrus asked.

“Yeah, seems to be the only thing that makes sense…" Sans replied. "It’s been awhile since we last saw Flowey and he’s what brought Frisk. Maybe it’s his doing… or it could be Gaster. I dunno yet.” He looked up at Papyrus, who had his arms crossed.

“It’s just so… odd," Papyrus groaned. "This human… is older. It’s like a twist in one of Mettaton’s bad movies. I’m just worried.”

“Well, worrying ain’t gonna do you any favors, Pap," said Sans. "Why don’t we talk about what to do when she wakes up? She might want to scream and run if she sees well... us.” He snickered. “Humans ain’t exactly used to seeing walking and talking skeletons.”

Papyrus nodded and knelt down next to the human, checking her over. No wounds, or at least none he could see. He hummed to himself as an idea crept into his mind.  
  
“Well, I could surprise her with a delicious meal of spaghetti!" he said enthusiastically. "I know that’s something with starches and sugar! All things needed for healing and getting one's energy up.”

“There we go. You go ahead and do that. Make sure she gets an MTT resort treatment.” Sans smiled and shifted to sit on the couch beside the human.

“I’ll even make fancy bread!” Papyrus beamed and stood up and made his way to the kitchen.  
  
Once Papyrus had left, Sans sighed.

“Kid… what are you doing here? I know Frisk reset, but…” He sighed and brushed the hair out of the human's face. “This is… just not right.”

Sans thought and thought as he watched the human, investigating every possibility, every variable... and came up with nothing. It was like as if he had been locked out. He growled to himself- and then stopped. The human was moving.

He shifted off the couch. If she freaked out, he wanted to have some distance between him and her. Monsters were nothing compared to humans, after all. If she decided to attack, he'd be... boned. He smirked as the human opened her eyes and sat up.  
  
  
“Mom… I…” she looked around. Her eyes landed on the skeleton and she backed up, falling right off the couch with a loud thud. “What the hell?!”

Sans couldn’t help but let out a cackle. “Oh, hey kid. You okay?”  
  
  
Brianna looked around and tried her best to calm her breathing. So... the child, the fall, the flower... it hadn't been a dream. It was real? These monsters were real? She trembled as she stared at the skeleton before her. She observed him, warily, trying to figure out if she could trust him. After Flowey, she couldn't be too careful.  
  
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked, walking over to her and offering a hand. “My name's Sans… it’s alright, you’re safe.”  
  
He wasn't very easy on the eyes... but she didn't get that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach when she heard his voice.  
  
_I guess I'll trust him. For now._ Brianna carefully reached out for his hand and grasped it. She was able to stand with his help.

“I-i just… this isn’t a dream?” she asked.

“Nope, and you ain’t in Kansas neither.” He chuckled. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Brianna…” she said softly and sat back down on the couch, “That flower…. That Flowey.” she growled and hissed out the last portion.  
  
Sans raised an eyebrow- or would, if he'd had one- at the word "Flowey". _Him again, huh?_ He sat beside Brianna and looked up at her.

“So, Brianna, how’d ya get down here?” he asked.  
  
Brianna looked to the skeleton in surprise. She thought for a few moments. How did she get down here? What led up to her falling down? She rubbed her head, catching a few vague images, and turned to Sans.  
  
“W-well, I remember walking in a wooded area… seeing a figure in a striped shirt the earth shook and then nothing. I woke up on a bed of golden flowers and that damned weed attacked me! He yanked something out of me… it’s fuzzy… I only remember bits and pieces.” She groaned, rubbing her temples.

Sans frowned. _So, it's starting again..._ he sighed and then smiled at the human.

“So, what pronouns do you use?” he asked. “I like to ask out for politeness's sake.”

“She and her..." Brianna replied. Her head was still foggy. Partially because of the fall, partially because of the whole "I'm talking to a skeleton" thing. She tried to focus. "Um… thanks for rescuing me. I thought I was a goner back there.”

She smiled at him. “So, are you a skeleton or a revenant?”

“Meh, depends on who ya ask,” he chuckled. “So, how about you? Tell me a little about yourself."

“Girl, twenty four, artist, good with my hands. I like to cook.” Brianna blinked. “Speaking of cooking, that smells really good… I’m actually starving.”

“That’s my brother Papyrus. He’s the one who carried you here. He was super worried about you." Sans stood up. "Maybe you should drop in and say hi to him. I have business to attend to." One of the blue lights in his eye sockets winked off and on. "Behave, kid.”

Brianna watched as he walked off and sighed to herself. She just sat there for a few moments as she thought about what to do.

 _Good thing I ran into some friendly monsters for a change. I've gotta remember to thank them_. She pushed herself up and wobbled to the kitchen.

Brianna took a moment to enjoy the smell of food as she watched the much taller skeleton work. _What on Earth is he doing?_ she thought. He had crushed the tomatoes with his hands.

 _Looks like it worked OK..._ She snickered a bit before speaking up.

“You know there’s an easier way, right?” she asked, smiling.

“Yeah, yeah, Sans, you keep-” he cut himself off and turned around. “Oh! You’re awake, small human!”

“Yeah, just woke up a bit ago,” Brianna said as she blinked. “Smells good. Reminds me of home.”

“You’ve ruined the surprise!” Papyrus whined, trying to hide what he had worked on for the past half hour. “You should be resting. You took quite the fall.”

“And a beating on top of that." She smiled ruefully. "Mind if I sit in here?”

“No, as long as you're not straining yourself!" he said. "I, the great Papyrus, will make sure you get five star treatment!” He placed a hand on his ribcage and bowed.

Brianna stifled a giggle. She was going to get exhausted real quick. At least he was genuinely nice.

 _I need a nap. It's gonna be a while before this food's ready, anyway._ She sat at the small table and laid her head down with a sigh. Her eyes closed, she began to doze... and then she felt a bony hand shaking her shoulder.

Brianna gently pushed herself up and yawned. Then the smell of the food wafted to her nose and she immediately perked up. She looked up to Papyrus, who seemed concerned.

“Hey, that smells great. Thank you, Papyrus,” she said.  He sat the food down in front of her, then fetched his own plate and sat across from her.

“Thank you!" he said. "My friend Undyne has been teaching me how to cook. I hope it tastes good as it smells. Sometimes… my sauce ends up being lackluster.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. When it comes to Italian food, I got ya covered. My step-dad's entire side is from Italy.”

Brianna took a bite. Yup, it was lackluster. But the potential was there. It was just too vinegary. She didn’t make a face- she had much worse at home.

_It's not bad, but it's not good either. It's just... OK. Like an off brand jar of sauce from the supermarket._

It didn't matter. She was far too hungry to care. And it wasn’t until she was halfway done with her plate that something hit her.

_How is he eating? He has no stomach. I… what._

She didn’t open her mouth, she just glanced up. There had been no mess. Maybe it was magic. Maybe all his gear was under his chest area? She didn’t want to know.

A few minutes later, she'd finished the spaghetti, and was nibbling on another piece of cheesy bread. Now the bread was perfection. Super soft and warm with melted cheese... she could eat it all day.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Papyrus spoke.

“How was it? Be honest! Any input will help me!” Papyrus said, beaming excitedly. “Especially from a fellow pasta fan!”

“Well, it wasn’t… bad," Brianna began, "but it was a bit strong. Tangy I think is the word. You just need to ease up on the vinegar.” She walked back over and sat down. “The noodles were cooked right, and I could eat this bread all day, but the sauce was a bit strong for my palate. If you want strong, try some wine instead of vinegar.”

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically as she spoke. “Alright! I can do that.” he said triumphantly.

“Oh, I wanted to say thank you for carrying me back here to, uh..." Brianna leaned back in her chair. "Wherever… here is. If not for you and Sans I would’ve been a goner.”

“Oh! There is no need to thank me! It is what a Royal Guard does! We protect the innocent!” He beamed.

Brianna chuckled, before she went quiet again. She'd been able to ignore the weirdness of her situation for a few hours, but now it all came crashing down on her.

_I just fell down a hole to Wonderland and got attacked by an evil flower and gave culinary advice to a skeleton. When did this become the new normal?_

The feeling didn't last for very long, though. She was too tired for that. _God, I could go for a bath..._ she thought, rubbing her head. But if she tried, she'd probably fall asleep in the warm water. Better not.

She didn’t even notice Papyrus had left until she heard what sounded like a cheesy game show theme play from the living room.

 _How do they get electricity down here?_ she wondered.

She stood up, walked into the living room, and flopped down on the couch next to Papyrus. After shifting into a more comfortable position, she fixed her gaze on the screen. Yes, this would do.

“Oh, I love this show!" Papyrus's voice was full of barely controlled emotion. "Mettaton is so cool! You’ll like him too!” On the screen, a robot rolled across the stage and spoke.

Brianna was absolutely fascinated by the show. He seemed so positive, and it actually made her feel better about being stuck here for now. She chuckled at a bad pun and looked to Papyrus.

“Yeah, he’s great.” she said, and leaned back into the couch. “Oh! His screen does emoji’s oh my goodness that’s adorable.”

“I know, right?" Papyrus said. "He’s attractive for a rectangle!”

Brianna grinned. “Papyrus, I don’t think it’s his form. It’s his attitude. I mean, I feel a lot better just watching, considering... well, you know. It’s the positivity that makes him enjoyable.”

Papyrus was surprised by the human's words. _That’s right... a human wouldn’t feel at home here_. Especially since there were only two of them in the Underground. He frowned, and got an idea. Maybe if the human had ‘family’ they’d feel better! And after he became friends with Frisk, he felt confident enough this would work. He considered the smaller human a part of his family, after all. He shifted a bit to face Brianna.

_It wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?_

“I know you’re probably very far from home and scared. But you don’t need to be! Sans and I have your back, okay?" Papyrus gave her a reassuring grin. "We’ll protect you like one of our own! We’ll help you get legal citizenship and everything. You could be a part of our family like the other human! If you… don’t mind?”

Brianna was a bit startled by this. She remained quiet for a few moments as she tried to think of something to say. It was a kind and genuine offer... just unexpected. She'd only just met these monsters, but they were already treating her so well. She didn’t know what to think.

She ended up just giving Papyrus a smile. And a soft nod.

“Sure, it might help knowing I’m not alone,” she said.

Papyrus beamed and immediately grabbed Brianna in a tight hug, babbling on and on about how he was going to make sure no one dare bothered her.

She giggled. _He's such a dork._

Sans came down from his room and sat beside his brother before he spoke. “Okay, so. Seems like we got a lot of work to do with this kid,” he said. “We gotta start training her for life in the underground.”

Brianna stared at him. “Wait, what?”

“Ya heard me.” Sans shrugged, “Now it ain’t going to be easy, but we’ll try. First, we'll give you a history lesson.”

And so the tale started. Sans and Papyrus both explained how the war started, the lost hope, how the human fell down and how they were adopted, the loss of the King and Queen's children, the regained hope, and everything in between. To the best of their ability they tried to fill her in on the history of their current town. It was a long talk, and Brianna asked questions when she felt she needed to. Not very often, surprisingly. She'd heard similar stories before.

“So, this is what we up there call the ‘Faerie World’ or ‘The Veiled World’..." she said. "Wow…"

Sans nodded. "Odd names, but that’s fair. Thing is, though... this world is run by magic. And usually only people connected to magic get sucked in or lured to the edge. It’s not rare, per se, just uncommon. But you literally falling in?" He shook his head. " _That's_ definitely rare."

“Indeed!" Papyrus added. "But, being you are an adult, it will be easier for you to blend in seamlessly. Unfortunately…" His smile drooped a little. "There’s no way out.”

“Not yet at least,” Sans corrected his brother. The human was stressed enough already. No need to make things worse.

Brianna shifted to sit on the floor and groaned. She rubbed her head as her mind raced. How was she going to survive. Why was she here? Could she get ho-

She yawned, interrupting her thoughts. _Must be more tired than I thought.  
_

She curled up and lay on her side. “Yup," she said sleepily, "One of these days… thanks for talking me through this. I appreciate all your help, guys. And since I’m staying here-" She yawned again. "I’ll do what I can to help out. Cooking, cleaning, you know, whatever.”

“Alright." Sans nodded. "That’s a fair deal.”

“You look exhausted," Papyrus said, getting up and walking over to the dozing human. "It’s time for sleep. You need it.”  He bent down and picked her up as though she didn't weigh anything. "You can have my bed for now.”

Brianna squeaked and held on to Papyrus for dear life. She hadn't expected that.

Papyrus took her to his room and tucked the human in. Adult or not, he was making sure she was taken care of. He hummed to himself as he got her another blanket and put it over her. As he did, he noticed the look of bewilderment on the human's face and tilted his head in response.

“What?” he asked.

“Just uh… not used to this." Brianna chuckled nervously. "Thanks, Papyrus.” She lay back and sank into the pillows.

“Oh, um... you’re welcome," Papyrus said. "Just sleep. We’ll go over everything in the morning.” He walked out of the room, pausing to turn off the lights.

Brianna lay in the racecar shaped bed and sighed to herself. She looked around. It was a simple room. He had a pirate flag and action figures and… a computer. She yawned and looked to the window.

The landscape was buried under an ungodly amount of snow.

 _Of course it's gotta be cold down here...._ She sighed as she rolled on her side and closed her eyes.

 _Maybe, just maybe, this is just a dream…_ she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

_I hope._


	2. Stuck in Underland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes shock can make a person appear to have things under control. Until something small shatters that facade. Acceptance can be the hardest thing in the cycle of loss. After that however? It's an adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the-amething of tumblr for editing.

When Brianna woke up, the first thing she saw was Papyrus, holding out a plate of pancakes. She blinked a few times, covered her head, and groaned.

“Breakfast is an important meal! You must eat!” Papyrus pleaded.

Brianna eventually relented. She tossed the covers off herself and got out of the racecar shaped bed.

 _So, this entire thing wasn’t a dream,_ she thought to herself as she rubbed her face. _I’m really… here? In the Underground…_

Brianna looked up at Papyrus and sighed to herself. "Thanks," she said, taking the plate from him. She walked to the kitchen, ignoring Papyrus's gasp of "No, stay here, you need your rest!" and ate her meal.

Brianna could barely taste the pancakes. Her entire world had been tossed into a spin, and she felt like she wasn’t even connected to the universe. She closed her eyes and tried to force herself to focus on her meal, but all she could think about was what had happened, where she was, and she felt like crying.

Brianna's fork struck ceramic with a clunk, and she looked down. She'd finished the pancakes without noticing.

"Hey, Bee." Sans was speaking. She didn't bother to look at him. "How'd you sleep?"

“Fine, just… I’m still kind of dazed.”

Brianna thought about the food that she had just ate. It was odd, she was full, but she didn't feel full. Like she'd been eating clouds or something. She looked over to Papyrus, who just finished his own meal.

“That’s fair. This is a strange world you were… dropped into.” Sans snickered. “But I think it’s time we explained a little bit about what’s goin’ on here.”

Brianna gave a weak smile. “Can you start by explaining how your brother eats?”

Sans laughed and held onto the table. That was rich.

_Guess I can't blame her. I mean, he's rail-thin and I'm the exact opposite..._

Then he saw the look in Brianna's eyes, and his laughter died away. He took in a breath before he spoke.

“Okay, sorry, just… I forget." He straightened up and looked Brianna in the eye. "Monster Food is different from human food.”

“How so?”

“Well, for starters, once it hits your stomach- or in our cases our mouth- it turns into energy instantly. It’s magic based, so there’s no waste. Heck, we even eat sequined covered burgers down here. It wouldn't work in Brianna world, but in the Underground?" He grinned. "The rules're different."

“Wow, that’s handy…” Brianna was surprised by how efficient it was. “So you don't, uh... need bathrooms?”

“You mean shower rooms, right? No, not really!" Papyrus chimed in. "Only personal homes have them. We have one just because."

Brianna nodded as she took the new information in. Over the next few hours, she listened, fascinated, as Sans and Papyrus filled her in on what she’d need to know. They began with how Snowdin functioned and how it came to be, then gave her a crash course in the history of the Underground- everything from the Ruins to the Central City. They even explained the topic of magic more in depth. How it worked, how it could be used.

Sounds pretty scientific for magic, Brianna thought. “Do you think I could learn to use magic?” she asked.

Sans nodded. “Thing is... usually for humans it’s harder the older they are. And twenty-four ain’t no spring chicken.”

Brianna huffed and folded her arms. “Sans, I used to do Tarot, rune readings, and sigil work, back… you know, up there. Not as deep as what you guys have, but it’s not like you’re tossing a kindergartner into a physics class either.”

“Huh.” Sans smiled. “You know the basic rules, then. Now, for you guys,” he continued, “It usually stays in body. For us…” Sans closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, revealing a blue flame that seeped out of one of his sockets. “We can use it inside and out.”

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically. “But, it takes a lot of focus!” he added. “It isn’t easy. Sans, please stop showing off.”

Sans chuckled, closing his eyes and letting his magic disappear. He opened them again and looked to Brianna.

  
_Well, she's got some familiarity with magic,_ he thought as he walked over to Brianna and sat on the floor next to her. S _he's a lot older than Frisk was, but maybe that'll help make up for it._

  
“Now, from what you told me yesterday, Flowey- or as you called him, ‘That damned weed’-" he snickered. "-pulled something out of you. And I think I know what it is. Pap? Your turn.” He looked to his brother.

Papyrus grinned as his face lit up with excitement. He clapped his gloved hands together and jumped up from where he was sitting. At first, he couldn't focus well enough to create anything, other than a few orange flickers around his chest... but as his breathing slowed and his concentration sharpened, something began to manifest. It was an orange heart shape.

Papyrus opened his eyes and grinned at the astonished look on Brianna's face. He concentrated again and guided his SOUL up and down.

 _So... this is what his soul looks like?_ Brianna thought, leaning forward to get a better look. _I didn't think it would look like that... but it works._ She stood up and Sans followed her lead. Brianna turned to face him and focused on her breathing. She had a feeling this was about to turn into a training session.

“Okay kid, your turn," Sans said. "Now, just relax, don’t force it. It might take a few days to get the hang of this whole thing.”

Papyrus's soul slid back into his chest with a flash of light. “Yeah!" he added. "Just let it come naturally.” He patted her shoulder.

Brianna nodded and took in a breath as she relaxed herself. I can do this, she thought. She evened out her breathing as she focused, trying to build herself up from the inside before she pushed.

  
She felt something warm forming in her chest, and she struggled to maintain her concentration. A light formed near her chest as a pastel heart popped out of her being and floated in place there. When Brianna opened her eyes, she was greeted by an impressed Sans and a very proud Papyrus.

“Okay, it’s out. Now, can ya move it?” Sans asked.

Brianna looked to the soul and focused. She managed to move it around, though barely. Beads of sweat popped out on her face and trickled down her dress. Before long, she collapsed to her knees, exhausted. Her soul had never been this exposed before, nor had she ever directly worked with it. Sans walked over and took her hand, a look of concern on his face. He didn't want her to hurt herself by pushing too hard.

“Kid, it’s okay," he said. "You did very well for your first time. Like I said, you’re older, it might take a while."

Papyrus immediately got to her side and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’ll be able to practice over the coming days. Don’t worry!" He grinned. "You have a royal guard in training and a sentry to train you!”

“A-alright.” Brianna said, her breath shaky as she recalled her soul. As she did, she remembered something she'd been meaning to ask about. With everything that had happened to her, it had completely slipped her mind. “When that damn weed attacked me, he said the weirdest thing - he was giving me mercy. What did he mean by that?”

Sans frowned. _really? Crap._ He groaned. He didn’t feel up to doing this today.

“Paps, you explain fighting, I’m taking a break," he said, turning and heading up the stairs. "I’ve got to figure something out.”

Papyrus looked gleeful. He picked Brianna up and carried her to the garage. He was going to teach her basic attacks and how to avoid and dodge them.

Brianna just lay where she was, secretly grateful for a break. She sighed as he walked through the cold and to the garage. When he sat her down, she brushed herself off.

Brianna wasn't looking forward to more training, but it was either that or never leave the house for the rest of her life. She stretched a bit and popped her joints before looking back up at Papyrus. He had a look of disgust on his face.

“That sounded painful… maybe we should wait," he said. "Bones aren’t meant to sound like that.”

Brianna snickered. “Ours do when they’re stiff," she said. "And mine are a special case… but I promise, I’m fine. It only hurt when they popped."

Papyrus nodded and stepped away from her. He knew this would be difficult to explain... battles in the Underground could get pretty confusing. He hummed to himself, trying to think of a way to explain it. Maybe I should start with the options.

“Alright, he began, "first, there are two options when it comes to the types of fights. I can attack you outright with attacks. Or if your soul is bared, I can attack that.” He called up a few bones, “So, let’s say I throw a few of these at you. You can fight back, act, flee or spare me.”

Brianna nodded. Seemed simple enough. “Alright, so like this it’d be a physical attack," she said. "And I could come up and push you down for a fight move. Dodge for act. Get out of here for flee. Or just spare you if I'm feeling merciful and vice versa?”

Papyrus clapped his hands happily. She was a quick learner. He nodded and walked over to Brianna, bending down to face her.

“Yes, just like that! How’d ya know?” he asked.

“My bro played a lot of video games,” she chuckled. “Which fights are more involved?”

“Soul fights. If I’m attacking your soul with my physical attacks or my own soul, they take more energy due to you needing to use the magic in here.” He poked her chest with a bony finger.

“Alright, makes sense… So, I guess we should start with me working on physical attacks?”

Papyrus nodded. “Correct!” He stood up. “Now, we’ll start slow, alright?”

Brianna nodded and prepared herself. This was going to be difficult. She wasn’t athletic and her body liked to work against her.

Papyrus steadied himself and sent a small bone at her. Brianna ducked, and it whizzed by her hair before returning to Papyrus's hand.

Papyrus gave a nod of approval. He mixed it up with three, then two, then four, then one and at all different levels. He didn’t want to accidentally harm Brianna. This is why he preferred puzzles. But since she was older, he knew the other monsters might not be so kind to her. This went on for several hours, until-

**SMACK. SWISH.**

Brianna had tripped and fallen into some of their cleaning supplies when she had dodged an attack. Papyrus dropped everything and ran over to Brianna. Oh no! he gasped to himself. She's soaked... He stammered out an apology as he helped her up.

Bee assured him that she was okay, but on the inside, she was miserable. It smarted, and the room was so cold, the liquids burned her skin. And to top it all off...

“I have… no extra clothes…” she squeaked.

Papyrus looked around. She was right. They hadn’t gotten to that yet. And in hindsight, they probably should have. He scooped her up and raced to the warm house so she didn’t get hypothermia in the cold weather. He got her to the small shower room that had been hidden.

“Okay, you take a shower…" he said sheepishly. "I’m going to find you some.. new clothes."

“Papyrus… I d-don’t think anything you own will f-f-fit me...” Brianna tried to keep her teeth from chattering.

“Okay, I’ll raid Sans's closet… just please warm up.” he said, and ran out, feeling like the world's biggest idiot.

Papyrus looked around before heading towards Sans room. He knocked on the door, and when nobody answered, he opened the door and went inside.

 _Oh great..._ Papyrus groaned. _He's sleeping._ He tiptoed to the closet, past the pile of dirty socks, and opened it. He pulled out a sweatshirt and tank top before heading to his room.

Papyrus stared glumly at the results of his search. Some shorts, shoes he had gotten for Frisk that ended up being too big, and knee high socks he had wanted to use for Christmas. It wasn’t very… flattering, but it’d have to do. He’d go to the market with Undyne next time they trained.

He scooped the clothes into a pile under his arm, opened the door to leave, and almost ran smack into Sans, who'd been about to knock. Papyrus stumbled backward and fell on his bed.

“I’m sorry, Sans," he babbled, picking himself up and blushing, "I had to borrow some clothes for Brianna. And you were sleeping. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

Sans just stared. “Okay... but that's not what I was here for. Frisk can’t reset. Something weird is going on.”

 _Can't reset?!_ Papyrus opened his mouth, then shut it again. He should give Brianna her clothes first before he forgot about it. "One sec."

He took the bundle of clothes off the bed, walked over to the bathroom door, and knocked.

"Come in!" Brianna called.

The shower was still running. He stepped inside, set the clothes in a dry, easy to see place, and escorted himself out.

 _But if they can't reset... there must be someone here with more Determination. And that could only be..._  
He walked back to Sans, who led him to the living room, and they both sat down.

“Well, no more resetting is good, right?” Papyrus asked, hopeful.

“If they take the Pacifist route like they say they’re going to, then yeah. But, I dunno…" Sans rubbed his head. "They can die and come back, but no reset. It’s weird. They said they couldn’t do it after that shake up yesterday."

Papyrus frowned “Do you think... it's because of her?".

Sans nodded. “Yep. But this narrows it down. Flowey doesn’t have that power. Only one being does. That means he is trying to fix the mechanics of this place. This ‘game’, as Frisk once called it.”

Papyrus looked down and thought. _Why the sudden change? If he was behind it, things must be getting desperate._ He leaned back into the couch and sighed.

“What do we do?”

“We protect the kids. Protect them best we can. We can’t do much until we know the point of this. He must be tired of his experiment… he’s finally...” Sans let the sentence hang in the air.  
  
  
  


“I know… but if he is the one behind it, he picked a fabulous human!” Papyrus smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Sans chuckled, “True. By the way, I need to speak to someone out in town. I'll grab her some clothes while I'm there. Make sure Frisk doesn’t get hurt- ya know, the usual. Just give me a list.”

Papyrus nodded and grabbed some paper and a pen. His mind wandered as he made the list.

 _This is gonna be a long haul,_ he thought, as Sans took the list and hopped off the couch. I _just hope we can do it. We've gotta, for the Underground's sake._

“Thanks. Just... when she realizes she can’t go home, Be prepared.”

The front door closed behind Sans with a bang.

  
The next two weeks were fairly normal. They managed to get decent clothes for Brianna, and both Sans and Papyrus kept training her. They even talked about jobs she could get in the Underground, though most led to dead ends. Grillbyz wasn’t hiring, but he did give Brianna a free meal due to how polite and understanding she had been. The library didn’t work out. Not even the castle needed help, much to Papyrus’ dismay. But they kept looking.

What surprised both skeletons was how calm, kind and collected the monsters had been around Brianna. They supposed that after meeting Frisk, that the monsters didn’t mind another human being around. Especially since their new friend was willing to work and contribute to the society.

Today, Papyrus had gone out to find a gift for Brianna. She had explained to him about how her body had been hurting more being in such cold and humid weather, and he thought a soft plush toy might cheer her up. Brianna hadn’t gone into what was wrong with her, exactly, but he got the picture.

  
_It must be difficult, being in so much pain all the time..._ he thought as he trudged through the snow. _Maybe one day, she'll trust me enough to tell me everything._ He was quickly getting attached to Brianna, like he had with Frisk. It had only been a few weeks, and she already felt like the younger sister he'd never had. It still bothered him that Frisk couldn’t reset anymore, and he still didn't know why Brianna had fallen down in the first place, but he tried not to let it bother him. He was taking it all in stride.

He walked into the living room, “Brianna! I, the great Papyrus, have-”

He broke off. Brianna was sitting on the floor, curled up and leaned against the wall, a small pink item clutched in her hands.

Papyrus tried to stay calm. He set the bags down, walked over to Brianna and got down to her level.

“Brianna, are you alright?” he asked.

“No…” she murmured.

“Is it the pain? Do you need medicine or a hot bath?” he asked, worried. He had never seen her this bad before.

“No…" She sighed. "Papyrus, this can’t be fixed…” Her grip on her pink iPod tightened. “It can never be fixed…”

“What do you mean? I’m sure I could fix it!”

“Papyrus, you can’t.” Her face twisted, and she flung the iPod across the room. It hit the wall with a thump and bounced off, thudding into the carpet. “Unless you can break the barrier, you can’t fix it!”

Papyrus's eyes grew wide. She was scaring him. Then she started to sniffle, and the fear vanished in an instant. His shoulders slumped as she began to speak again.

“You can’t fix it. I can’t go home. I’m stuck here! I’m stuck! I’ll never see my brother, my mom, my family… I can’t see any of them again!” She drew a heaving breath and wiped her red and tear-stained face with the back of her hand. “I begged, I bargained, I denied everything, all… but this isn't gonna change… I’m stuck here! I-I can’t even get a job. I can’t be of any help unless it’s around here. I’m just…”

Papyrus swallowed. He wasn’t sure what to do, exactly. He wasn't very good with words... he just knew he couldn’t handle seeing her like this. He shuffled over to her and carefully put an arm around her.

“I don’t feel right here… I feel so out of place.” Brianna clung to the skeleton as tightly as she could.  
  
  
  


“I’m sorry…" Papyrus began, fumbling for the right words. "I know it must be difficult. But you’re so brave handling it. You have us here. I promise, Sans and I will take care of you. You have family in us, alright? You’re a part of the Skeleton Clan and we’ll do our absolute best to make this place home for you.” He looked her in the eye, heart in his mouth as he waited for her reply.

 _Oh thank goodness, she's nodding._ He stroked her back. When she pulled back, he wiped her face. He stood up and walked over to the couch and grabbed the bag and brought it over.

“I got you something to cheer you up," he said softly. "You can stick him in the microwave and he warms up. I thought he’d be good for the pain."

Brianna blinked. “You didn’t have to, Papyrus," she mumbled. "I went this long without --”

“Exactly! It’s time you had something to help! I promise you’ll like him!” Papyrus handed her the bag.

Brianna chuckled weakly and nodded. She took the bag and reached into it. Inside was a black fuzzy ball with two large eyes, it sounded like it was full of rice. It was rather heavy, but comfy to lay on. It was fairly big as well, bigger than a standard pillow.

It was just what Brianna needed. She giggled and hugged it. “Ah, it’s cute!" she laughed. "It reminds me of a soot sprite! Thank you, Papyrus.” She set it down and hugged him.

For the next hour Papyrus did what he could to help Brianna feel better. They watched their usual show and just talked. She told him about her chronic pain, anxiety and general health problems- seizures, night terrors, and so on. She felt that since she was stuck here, someone should know in case of an emergency. It wasn't easy, opening up about her illnesses, but she had to for them. She didn’t want them to panic if she suddenly dropped and seized.

“Yeah," she sighed, "the reason I hurt a lot is due to chronic pain and some janky bones. You’d cry if you saw them." She shook her head and chuckled. "Seizures, night terrors and anxiety can take heavy tolls, but I think if I didn’t have the other problems I’d be alright.”

Papyrus patted her shoulder. “That’s awful... and there’s no cure?” he asked.

“Nope, sucks, but what can I do?" Brianna shrugged. "Gotta keep fighting, you know?”

They watched the show in silence for a while before Brianna spoke again. “Pap. Maybe if I get a job and save gold you and I can go see one of Mettaton’s shows. Have a sibling outing, yeah?”

“Oh! That sounds fun!” he said. “I have some gold put back because of it! The prices vary on the package. I just want a basic seating. I’m actually pretty close.”

Brianna nodded. “Well… before my…" she grimaced. "Breakdown... I actually thought of something. No one in the Underground fixes things. Like just general things. Lights, pipes and so on. I know how to handle a bit of mechanical work- maybe I could do that? Start my own thing?”

Papyrus lit up. “That’s perfect! I never thought of that before! Then you can handle your own payments! Oh! We’ll have to tell Sans.”

Brianna smiled. “Good, at least we have a start…”

They spent the rest of the night making plans. They even put together a presentation for Sans, but unfortunately, before he got home, both of them had fallen asleep.  
However when Sans returned, he saw the paperwork and picked it up. He looked it over, impressed. They had everything sorted out. Taxes, prices, and even what she could work with. He felt proud.

_They did this by themselves. Fantastic. Guess the kid realized she’s here for good._

He chuckled and set it down along with a thick envelope. He had gone to see the king and brought home some important paperwork for their guest. Adoption forms and citizenship forms. He didn’t tell the King what species Brianna was, just that she was new. The king had been so busy and preoccupied with Frisk’s journey he didn’t ask many questions.

Sans sighed and placed a large quilt over his younger siblings. He smiled as he thought about it. Papyrus was acting like he had back in the day... watchful and supportive.

“I just hope Gaster knows what he’s doing.” he sighed.

At the edge of his hearing, he heard someone whisper Trust me, but ignored it.

He headed up to his room and laid on his bed. This had been interesting.

_Between Frisk and Brianna... things're different now. A good different, but... something still feels weird._

He sighed and decided to not think about it. He just hoped his little envelope would surprise the two. Sans was lazy, but he could be hardworking when he had to. He yawned and drifted off to sleep.

He was awakened the next morning by the sound of Papyrus and Brianna screeching and cheering. He chuckled, rolled out of bed, and walked downstairs.

_So much for sleeping in._

He looked to the two. “You guys woke me up. What’s the fuss about?”

“Sans! You know what it is!" Papyrus was beaming. "You got paperwork from the KING! For her to be a legal citizen!” Papyrus ran over to Sans and engulfed him in a bear hug.

“Don’t mention it, you two." Sans's voice was a little muffled. "Just fill it out and mail it in ASAP."

“I’m already working on it!” Brianna said as she wrote away. “Thank you, Sans.”

“Yeah, yeah. Nerds." Sans extracted himself from his brother's grasp and gasped theatrically. "Just be glad he was gracious and not nosy about your species. If he knew you were human... I dunno what would’ve happened.”

Brianna nodded. “Yeah… I might as well enjoy myself since I can’t go home.”

“In fact! After Brianna, uh, cried for a bit..." Papyrus added, "We watched Mettaton’s show and wrote up plans for a business!”

“I saw." Sans nodded. "And read over them. It’s a good idea. Grillby's been complaining about not having a repair person around." He grinned at Brianna. "I can get ya the tools too. Just be patient, alright?"

Brianna beamed. She was still torn up inside about not going home. But she knew brooding about it wouldn't solve anything. Her mom had always told her "Lingering on the sadness you feel will only drag you deeper into the abyss." So, instead, she decided to focus on the good things about her new life... the company she was in, the adoption and citizenship papers, and the world. It was literally magical. If Alice could do it, so could she.

And she did. She spent the next few days scavenging for tools and collecting what she could for her new job. She even had items donated to her. A sewing machine from the shopkeep, steel tools from Grillby himself. And even the grumpy librarian gave her a set of old vintage goggles and tool belts. The rest they found in stores or by digging through the garbage heaps in Waterfall. And it wasn’t until they walked over the patch of golden flowers that Brianna stopped to think.

It was weird. A little over a month had passed, but any doubts or fears she had had just vanished almost completely. She still had some sadness and uncertainties, but the company around her made it difficult for it to take hold of her like usual. Even her pain couldn’t stop her for long. She chuckled when she heard the skeletons call for her and walked forward off the patch of flowers, before she glanced back for a moment. Something was watching her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something run away.  
Probably Woshua. Or a guard. She put it out of her mind and ran up to the skeleton brothers.

“Man, it’s been over a month already?” Sans asked as they walked into Grillbyz. “Asgore on a hand stilt. That is nuts. The usual, please, Grillby.”

They all three sat on the bar stools and relaxed as they ate their dinner. Sans smiled and looked to Brianna.

“You've been lookin' happier, Bee,” he said. “Your job helping ya to adjust?”

“Y-yeah, actually. I still miss home, but I’m doing my best to... you know, deal with the fact that I’m not going back.”

Papyrus nodded somberly. “Well, you have friends here now and we will do what we can to support you. Even Grillby here is happy you’re around.”

Grillby said nothing and just gave a nod before walking back to the kitchen. Sans chuckled and shook his head.

“You know, soon enough you’ll have monsters tryin’ to win ya heart.”

Brianna snorted. "Please. Wipe that grin off your face."

"Can't. I'm a skeleton."

Brianna rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Let me get settled first. I’m still kinda weirded out by some of these guys. I mean, geez, I met a monster that looked like the thing from Little Shop of Horrors." She chuckled. "The sad part? They still were less scary than that dang weed."

Papyrus snickered. “Well. you’ll get used to it. You got used to us! I could always have Undyne push you into this world more!”

“Come on, Pap, that’s just cruel. She'd have her meditating under waterfalls day one.”

Grillby returned from the kitchen, interrupting their conversation. He placed their receipt on the table- and, somewhat shyly, handed another, smaller piece of paper to Brianna.

Brianna looked at it. It was a phone number. She knew they had phones, but it never occurred to her she should be getting numbers of her friends in Snowdin. She would eventually get one after all! She pocketed it as Papyrus paid for the meal.

“... see you later.” Grillby said to them before they left.

Sans smirked.

Oh that wasn’t just a friend thing.

She was just like Frisk. Not even in the Underground for that long, and she already had monsters wrapped around her fingers. Not that he was gonna tell her that. He was going to let her get it figured out on her own.

As the months passed, Brianna took on a refreshed persona. She changed her name to "Bee", since it was easy to remember and her given nickname by most of the town. Her small business actually took off quite quickly- so much so, in fact, Sans had to teach her how to use his short cuts (or as Bee called them, his "little rabbit holes") in order to get to customers in Hotland and Waterfall.

She even went on a couple of dates with the fire elemental Grillby, but it ended up not working out. They didn’t click as well as Grillby had hoped, and their bodies were too different, so they settled for being friends. They grew very close, and would often help each other out with their respective businesses. Grillby would refer Bee to other customers, and she helped him with the colder equipment in his diner.

Bee felt happy. She felt at peace with the place. It was a lot like home, once you got used to it. The monsters were all kind and patient with Brianna. And absolutely genuine. It wasn't perfect, of course- she faced her fair share fights and challenges, but they all helped her grow. For the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged.

She sat at her usual bar stool at Grillby and yawned. She was worn out.

 _Ten jobs today... can't believe I got through 'em all_ , she thought sleepily. _I need a nice meal, a hot shower and sleep._

The nice meal was on its way, and before long, it came. A nice loaded baked potato and small steak. Once she finished, she pushed her empty plate to the side and laid her head down.

“... Rough day?” Grillby asked.

“No, not rough, just long.” Bee replied and pushed herself up. She rummaged in her pocket and plunked a handful of gold on the counter. “Thanks for dinner, Grillby. I appreciate it.”

“... you’re welcome," he said slowly. "Go get some rest."

She chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. I swear you and Papyrus coddle me.” She winked and hopped off the stool. “I’ll see you later.”

 _I bet Alice never got this far…_ Bee thought as she walked back home. _If only they could see me now. I guess Grandma was right... not all losses are bad. Some of them let you start over again._

 


	3. Chesire Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A call to fix a few appliances at the MTT Burger Emporium transforms into an impromptu repair for the robotic star himself! And soem new information is revealed as to who brought Bee into the Undergound.

  
The next morning was particularly rough on the human. Her body felt like Grillby's looked. On fire. She took in a deep breath and pushed herself up. She had to get through today. Then the weekend would come and she could recover. She groaned as she drug her fatigue and pain ridden body out of bed. She could smell the food in the other room and it gave her just enough motivation to grab her work clothes and head to the shower room.

She did her usual routine. Getting cleaned up before getting dressed, doing a light covering of makeup in an attempt to hide how pale she looked and then heading out to join the skeleton brothers. She sat at her spot at the table and noted Papyrus wasn't around. That was odd. She blinked and looked to the smaller skeleton. Before she could even ask he responded.

"He's out with Undyne. They're going to be training more vigorously since is Royal Training tests are coming up." he said looking to the human, "Man, you look pale. Maybe you should slack off today."

Brianna just nodded, "Alright. That explains it. I know he can pass the tests. And I can't. I have a job over at the MTT Resort today. Their menu screens went down."

"Ah, that'll be fun. Bet it's the burger emporium." Sans said.

"Yea, it is actually." she said to him, "I got the call last night. The guy running it, Burgerpants - I think that was his name. Said I needed to be there before they open."

"Well, you got about thirty minutes to eat and get out of here if you want to get there on time kid." Sans said.

Brianna looked at her food then to the door. She wanted to be there early. She knew however if she didn't eat the skeleton brothers wouldn't let her hear the end of it. She ended up scarfing what she could down before putting her plates in the sink and running to the door. She opened it before she remembered something important. She shut it and ran back to her room and grabbed her tool bag and her roller blades. A nifty addition she found the other day. She threw them over her shoulder before she ran back out.

"See you later Sans!" she called out before she headed out and to the River Person.

Once on the boat, she gave the Riverperson instructions to take her to Hotland. While in the boat, she swapped out her shoes for the rollerblades. It'd help her get through Hotland in a more timely manner. She paid the Riverperson once the boat stopped and hopped out with ease. It took her a moment or two to figure out how to work her legs in her new gear. But, once she figured out how to navigate in her rollerblades she was off.

Hotland was fairly easy to Navigate. Most roads led to the core so she didn't worry about getting lost. The heat here was almost too much for her, but it was a nice change from the frozen tundra that was Snowdin. She hummed as she skated greeting monsters as she went. Even saying hello to Muffet. She smiled when she heard the faint music and looked up ahead.

_Sweet, MTT resort and I have ten minutes to spare! Forty minutes will be more than enough to fix the screens._

Brianna skated in and looked around. She had never been here. She snickered at the Mettaton shaped fountain and rolled her eyes playfully as she made her way to the Burger Emporium. She was greeted by a cat who looked like he just had his tail slammed into a door.

"GOOD! You're here early! My boss will be thrilled. He was worried you'd be late." he said almost panicked.

"Of course, there's a reason my ratings are so high on Undernet. Relax kid. I got this." she skated over and looked at the menus on the front of the register. "And you said they just went out? And you don't know how to get into them?"

"Y-yea. I-i don't think it's a big deal. But, the boss made such a production out of it." The cat said his ear and tail twitched, "A-and uh, one of our fryers went out as well."

"Okay, screen first. Fryer second." she said simply as she got down in front of the register and observed the screen before popping it off with ease, "Oh, pfft."

She looked up at the cat who was looking down at her expectantly, "What is it?"

"Your bulb is out. That's all." she chuckled.

The cat face palmed himself. He looked defeated as he slunk to the back of the store. She shook her head and relaxed a bit. The fryer would be the challenge. She knew it could be one of two things. The coil was out and he just needed a new piece. Or the wire was well - fried. When the cat came back she took the bulb from him and screwed it in and the menu was back on. She popped the screen on and pushed herself up feeling just a tad dizzy. She looked at the cat.

"Oh! I never got your name. Mine's Bee." she said.

"Burgerpants is what everyone calls me here. Thanks for being so quick. Can't believe I forgot to check the bulb. I didn't know what to do with the fryer I panicked." he said as he led her back to the cooking area.

Brianna moved over and looked at the fryers, "Okay. Which one has broken?"

"The left. The one on the right is the same model and its working just fine." he said.

Brianna nodded and tried the first test. She swapped out the plugs, then tried both outlets, nothing worked. _Okay, it wasn't the plug._ She gave the original fryer back it's plug then shifted to swap out the coils. Which gave the cat a fright. She just gave him a reassuring look before she changed the coils. _And boom there it is._

"Okay, do you have a spare coil around?" she asked him.

He thought for a moment, "I might! Hold on!" he scrambled to a cabinet and pulled out a box labeled, 'spare parts' He brought it over and set it on the counter.

Bee dug through it and managed to find a coil that would fit. She was relieved it was an easy job. She looked at the time. She had a little bit longer before they opened. She fixed everything up and even cleaned up the greasy mess she had made on the counter. She looked to Burgerpants.

"Okay, all set." she said.

"Oh, my god. Thank you!" he said, "I told my boss calling you was a good choice. His baboons couldn't figure it out."

"Hey, not a problem. Now, since I had to do extra work, just double the initial price. It was easy so I'm not going to charge overtime." she chuckled.

The cat nodded and handed over a small bag of gold coins, "There's a tip in there too from my boss; he says you underprice yourself."

"Thanks. Is there anything else?" she asked.

"Nope! That's it, and uh... question... you're not... a monster are you?" he asked.

"I'm not obligated to answer that." she said simply and crossed her arms.

"Fine fine, but a cat can smell when something's up. If my boss sees you. You'll either be dead or he'll be enamored." he said and suddenly looked smug as he pulled out a cigarette.

"Why?" she asked, she knew about Mettaton's history - he was originally designed to kill humans. But, then why enamored?

"A cat never gives a full answer." he said and went back to the register, his oral fixation lit creating a thin line of smoke behind him.

Brianna frowned. Cats never changed no matter where she traveled. She rolled her eyes and skated out to the main area of the burger emporium. She decided to sit down and check her cell phone. She saw a good morning text from Papyrus and then a longer text from him. She opened the longer one and read it to herself.

**Sis, Sans told me you went to the MTT resort for work! Oh my goodness! You're closer to seeing Mettatons show than I ever will be... for a few more weeks anyways. But, maybe if you're lucky you'll run into him! Hang around a bit. Oh, I'm so excited for you! Good luck!**

She snorted a bit and texted him back.

**Papyrus, I kinda have to hang around. The river person doesn't run to Snowdin for another two hours. But, if I run into him I'll get pictures for you. Now, go train hard. Strong mind! Strong body! See ya bro.**

She smiled and tucked her phone away as she relaxed into the chair. Her body was still in pain, but it had faded a little bit due to the warmness of the area she was in. She was a bit startled when she heard a phone ring followed by a panicked Burgerpants.

"Boss, what do you want me to do about it?! ... Y-yea... she's still here... o-okay just a- well you'll see." he said and hung up, "Hey, Miss. Bee-"

"Yea, yea I heard." she stood up and grabbed her things and went over to the register, "What's the problem."

"Boss is having uh, technical difficulties and ahaha, he needs you up there for backup just in case Alphys doesn't show... Ahh top floor. The last suite down the hall." he said.

"Alright, thanks for letting me hang out. See you later." she waved and roller bladed out and to the elevator.

Well, now she was convinced Papyrus was a good luck charm. At least; his texts were. She fiddled with her gloves as she waited when the elevator pinged she walked in and hit the top floor number. She was wracked with anxiety. She wasn't sure what to expect from him. She knew he was very into himself, but from what she heard he had always done his best to be kind to others. Well, at least to the public. When the elevator stopped she skated out and made her way down the hall to the suite. She could do this. She had to. If she could get an in here she'd have it made. She knocked on the door.

"Miss. Bee, I'm giving my friend another ten minutes. If you don't mind just wait out there for awhile longer." A familiar voice called.

_Odd, it doesn't sound nearly as distorted and fuzzy; then again I have missed several episodes._

She waited. And did her best to pass the time. She did everything; from switching her roller blades to her normal shoes and managed to repack her tool bag. That's when she finally heard his voice call out.

"Alright, it seems my friend won't be making it. Enter and pardon the mess."

Brianna quickly stood up bag in hand. She was trembling with nervous energy. She opened the door and walked in. The room was what she expected. There was something very Gothic about the decor. Pinks, blacks, grays and small highlights of white. He had a good eye for color coordination. She glanced around the room, looking for the calculator looking robot, but was greeted by a very human looking being instead.

"Right here." he said and crossed his arms.

He eyed her, scanning the small being up and down. _Oh, no wonder Burgerpants seemed so nervous to send her up._ She wasn't a monster at all. She was human. A smirk played on his lips as he walked up to the human and towered over her so much so; he had to lean over just a bit. He observed her for a few moments. This had his interest. He just adored humans and meeting one that wasn't victim to the SOUL hunt was a first for him. He chuckled. _I won't let her know that I know what she is._

"Let me guess, are you used to seeing my more... robotic form?" he asked.

"Y-yea. So, this is why there was such a big fuss." she said, looking up at him her face painted with obvious anxiety.

The look he was giving her made her nervous, not scared, just anxious. He looked at her like someone eyeing an art project and she knew if given the chance he wouldn't hesitate to take it on. She chuckled nervously and motioned to the fainting couch.

"How about you sit and explain to me what's happening sir." she said trying to be formal.

"Oh darling, don't use such formal terms. Just call me Mettaton." he said and straightened up and sat on the fainting couch, "You see, even though a select few know about this form since I had to visit Miss. Muffet - this form takes too much energy I'm not quite yet ready to make it permanent. And that's why I called you here. I seem to be having trouble switching back to my box form. And it's due to the mess of wires in my chest."

He gently knocked on his pink chassis then gave a playful pout, "I hope your small hands work fast and gently."

"Yes of course! Detailed work is my area of expertise." she said, "I assume you'll need to be plugged into a charging port for this?"

"Yes, but I will need some assistance." he said and escorted her over to an area. There were a few wires hanging around and a chair.

He sat down and lifted up his hair, "Just plug it into this port. Then I'll open my chassis."

Brianna nodded and went to work. She lifted the cable and managed to get it plugged in. This was going to be a struggle. He towered over her and his setup was obviously built for him, not her. She shifted around and found a stool and set it in front of his chair and hopped up.

She was greeted by a jumble of wires. And it actually made her gasp in horror. She shook her head, "This is going to take awhile Mettaton. I hope you can sit still... at least they're up kept just not organized..." she rubbed her head.

"As I said, pardon the mess. I've been so occupied with my show I haven't had a chance to do the upkeep myself." he apologized looking down at the small mechanic, "My design is fairly simple. My eternal fans are in the back, but a grate separates them from my wires. I have a speaker and the dial that controls a few tasks. This wiring acts like a nervous system. I just need them fixed up. I won't turn off, I'll just go numb darling."

Brianna listened intently as he explained how his innards worked and nodded. She swallowed and carefully began unplugging everything she could. She was glad she had small delicate hands. They aided her in keeping a quick, precise, but gentle pace. She worked away. She hadn't seen a system this disorganized since she was in her home. It was like someone crumbled up a bunch of earbuds, threw them in a tumbler, then threw them into tangled up Christmas lights and said good luck.

The one good thing about this was. She was so busy working on untangling his innards that all her anxiety was replaced. She had to work quick she knew this.

Mettaton just watched the human with an amused look. Oh, she was good. And it didn't hurt like it did when Alphys worked. He honestly had a million questions about the overground. But, at current he couldn't seem to find the way to ask what he wanted. He'd have to make a list and somehow get her back here. This was exciting for him. He adored humans and wanted to know everything. _How did she avoid the king's wrath? Why wasn't I aware of her presence?_

When she had to climb up a bit more he shifted down into the chair so it'd be easier for her to reach. She was so small it was adorable. He knew Frisk would be small being a child, but she was a human adult he had expected her to be a bit taller. Perhaps letting Burgerpants pick the mechanic service wasn't such a bad idea. He would take it easy on his underling this week.

His programming made a beep when she slipped and accidentally nudged his dial. He smirked, and got a rather rude idea just wanting to see how far he could push this human. He gently tapped the stool when he knew her feet were completely off and knocked it over. He watched as she panicked causing her to slip.

He held back a snicker, that was until he felt his dial move. However; he was grateful it wasn't towards pain. Rather it just made him feel flustered. _Well, karma is instant I suppose._ He thought to himself as he kept himself composed as she worked. He could tell she was almost done, though he could feel her thighs clinging onto him for dear life. Once he heard the final snap he shifted. He made sure his small mechanic didn't fall. He unplugged himself and closed his chassis. Once he was all fixed up he set the small human down.

He adjusted his dial and made sure he looked good before he turned to the human.

"Ah, thank you, Bee. You did an absolutely marvelous job. It didn't hurt at all~" he complimented and praised her, "And in under an hour! Oh, perhaps I should just call you next time I have a minor issue."

"It's not a problem!" she said, getting nervous again, "I do make emergency runs."

"Now, I have seen your rates, and I must say after experiencing your services first hand... you are grossly underpaid." he said almost scolding her. He walked over to his vanity and pulled out a rather lovely box, he counted out quite a bit of gold before slipping the pieces into a nice silk bag, "I want you to take this, and do not say a word about how much. This was an emergency and overtime for you."

Brianna carefully took the bag from him and felt how heavy it was and looked up at him almost bewildered. He honestly thought her minor work was worth this much? She was going to say something before she felt him press a gloved finger to her lips.

"Take this and please feel free to come back. I adore humans and would love to have a little chat with you in the future." he said.

She swallowed, oh snap he knew! And he just let this play out without telling her? She knew a few monsters in Snowdin knew she was human, but anywhere else? They just assumed she was a monster. She was now panicking internally. She just managed a small nod.

"A-alright and..." she pulled out a business card and handed it to him, "If you ever need emergency repairs just let me know."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Now, it looks like you had a long day. You head on home and get some much-needed beauty rest~" he cooed and escorted her to the door, "I'm sure you'll be seeing me sooner than you expect."

She walked out of the suite and nodded and turned to wave goodbye as he blew a kiss.

_Oh, my god. What in hell just happened. What did I get myself into? Oh! I have to get a picture._

"Excuse me. Before I go. Could I maybe get a picture of you for my big brother Papyrus? I'd appreciate it." she said perking up.

Mettaton's eyes lit up, the aperture of one whirred and the LED screen of the visible eye flashed a heart. He nodded and pulled her back inside. He was a natural flirt. He just wanted to make a good impression on the human. And a picture was worth a thousand words after all.

"However I would also like a selfie with you~" he said, "Is that agreeable?"

"Sure! Just my brother loves your show and this would mean the world to him. Especially it being your new form."

"Alright darling, just a moment hold still this style of eye makeup doesn't quite suit you." he said and pulled off a glove and took her head into his hands gently despite her squeaky protest. He moved a thumb across her smudged makeup fixing it up just enough to make her hazel eyes brighter, "Now there's the bright star that fixed me up! Now, only he cans ee the image. Even my selfie with you shall be edited before I post it anywhere understood?"

Bee's eye twitched, she didn't mind it since he gave a warning. But, she didn't like anything around her eyes unless she was controlling it. She'd let it go this time since he didn't seem to mean any harm by it. And she'd get to brag that Mettaton fixed up her makeup. Which at least made her feel good. She then nodded understanding his request.

She scrambled to find her cellphone as she tried to not think too hard on what just happened. Though she'd be lying if it didn't make her heart palpitate. She turned on the camera and looked up to Mettaton who was putting his glove back on and looking rather smug.

"Alright, I got my camera ready." she warned.

That's all he needed. He smirked and struck a dramatic pose, making a heart shape with his hands. When he heard a few camera snaps he stood up straight and walked over, he nodded in approval of the photos she took. The phone was ancient, but the camera quality was alright. Not like his, but then again his was built by Dr. Alphys so it was more advanced than most.

"Now, our turn~" he said excitedly and pulled out his phone, "Now, do you mind if we get closer for this shot? I want to post a stellar review on your page!"

Her face heated up and turned a slight pink color. "Not at all." she lied, but hid it rather well, she walked over and stood beside him. She was surprised when he pulled her closer than she expected. She smiled at the phone seeing he had a forward facing camera surprised her.

Mettaton hummed and snapped a picture. That one would work for the review. It'd be easy to put his box form in its place. But, for a personal keepsake; it didn't seem quite genuine or worthy enough of his image. Then an idea sparked. He just prayed she'd forgive him for what he was about to do. He kissed her cheek and took the photo. He looked at it satisfied before he turned his head to a stunned Bee and chuckled. So, that's what would get the reaction he wanted. He pocketed his phone and tapped her shoulder.

"I'm sorry about that sweetheart, but the photo had to be MTT worthy~ And you look absolutely darling in this shot. I hope you don't mind." he said being as koi as possible.

Brianna had to shake herself out of her shocked state and narrowed her eyes, "Alright, but I better get a copy and you shouldn't do that again without permission." she crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

_Humans are precious._

"Alright, I promise you'll get a formal apology and nothing, but a positive review. I do apologize for my behavior. It's not often I meet a human that's not on the kings wanted list I got a little over excited." he said as he waved his hand and walked the mechanic to the door.

She sighed, "That's fair. Just ask next time. Alright?" she smiled as she turned to face him.

"Promise. Toodles~ Have a safe journey to your next destination swetheart." he said and watched her walk away.

_Oh, yes. I found the star of tomorrow's show. Now, to plan it all out. Finally, I can learn about humans from a different source. One that's not Anti-human._

Bee decided to just walk home. She wanted to scurry out of the resort as fast as she could manage. And scurry she did. She barely managed to wave to Burgerpants as she exited the resort.

_Oh, he was nice. Overly, so. Is he always that flirtatious! I bet he kicked over my stool..._

She rubbed her head as she walked. Running over everything in her head. He hadn't been rude necessarily. Just over enthusiastic. And like Snowdin he and the cat knew she wasn't a monster. Hopefully, it wouldn't attract too much attention. That was her only goal. She rubbed her arms as she got down to the River Person's stop and waited. Then she pulled out her phone and texted Papyrus.

**Here's your picture. It's the new form he'll be premiering once the bugs are fixed, but no sharing it online understood?** -Bee

**OH MY GOD! YOURE THE BEST SIS! ITS PERFECT AHH! YOU WERE IN HIS ROOM!?!?** -Papyrus

**Yup, had to fix him up too. ;P enjoy it you fanboy nerd I'll tell ya the story later.** -Bee

**THANK YOU! I WILL! UNDYNES FANGIRLING WITH ME. SHE DIDN'T SEE THE PICTURE THOUGH.** -Papyrus

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. It was odd how close she and the skeleton brothers had gotten over the past few months or so. She had a couple of friends. Grillby and Undyne. Though her meeting with Undyne had been very unpleasant; they eventually got used to each other. And when the Icthyo Sapien discovered her SOUL was useless to the King she began to relax around the human. Which was a big relief to Bee.

She still missed her home and family dearly. But, being here wasn't so bad. Though it would never fully cure the ache she felt inside. It did calm it. There was just something missing and she couldn't place it. She sighed and perked up when she heard the water move. She watched as the boat pulled up. She boarded and asked the River Person to take her to Snowdin.

Once they arrived she paid the River Person and got off. Only to be greeted by Sans. She waved to him as he came out from behind his portal Hot Dog Stand. She smiled and walked up to him.

"Oh boy, do I have a story for you." she laughed.

"Good. We need to talk. Let's head to Grillbys my treat." he said and walked with her to the fire elementals place.

Sans perched upon his usual stool and looked to Bee and chuckled. He saw the black lipstick and had to hold back a remark. He, however, wanted to cover more important things first. He sighed as it seemed that all time and space stopped around the two. And everything went quiet.

Brianna looked over to Sans, how did he? She blinked and noted how solemn he looked. And she worried. What was he going to do? She took in a deep breath.

"Kid. I finally have some information for you - about your fall." he started not giving her a chance to reply before he started speaking, "That kid you saw was Chara... more specifically a hologram of Chara. And I'm sure I know who brought you here."

"Who?" she asked softly.

"W.D. Gaster. He used to be the Royal Scientist, but... he played with some things he shouldn't have and well.. He fell into the core and just vanished... not for good, there are pieces of him still lingering. But, he was someone important to the King. Without him things have been... off balance. He, however, isn't dead. Just trapped in another dimension somewhere between our world and death. And he is able to mess with our timeline... and he has the ability to put out false projections to meet his ends. At least so I'm told."

"Then why me?" she asked sternly.

"Believe it or not kid. You're a lot like him." Sans chuckled, "You rather not be noticed, you'd rather stay out of sight and mind while influencing what you can in what you perceive as positive. Without taking into account how you might hurt yourself. It was a bad habit of his too. But, you truly influence those around you in a good light. And of course , you're more squishy. Why he brought you here I can only guess. Maybe in hopes to appease Frisk. Or even for you to Free him. I don't know."

"To be honest, after being here for so long I cannot find any surprise left in me." she admitted and groaned, "I wonder **why,** though... I'm literally about as buggy as it gets."

"That might be why. You're a little different from Frisk. You can use low forms of magic and Undyne and Papyrus have been teaching you attacks and you're getting good at them. Maybe it's because you're buggy physically, but spiritually or whatever you're a perfect match for this place. I wouldn't dwell on it, though; when I find out more I'll let you know." he said, "Now, what's up with the lipstick on your cheek. I knew you were suave, but on the first day scandalous."

Suddenly the room was bustling again and before Bee could get a word in edgewise. She frowned, "If you must know... I ended up fixing three things today. Two appliances at Burger Emporium and Mettaton." she huffed.

Sans smirked and leaned in with a smug look on his face as he waited for her to explain why she had a kiss mark. Bee sighed and relented as she explained to the skeleton what had happened. In excruciating detail. From the short-sightedness of Burgerpants, to her anxiety induced run, and the surprise smooch during the selfie. She huffed when the story was over and Sans had to hold his ribcage to keep from bursting out into laughter.

"Oh, my god. I know he's catty and adores humans, but wow. That's rather forward even for him." he said with a snicker, "Okay, I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh, but your face. Most girls would kill for that print on your cheek and yet you're acting like it's nothing, oh my god."

"Sans... please. I barely made it out without fainting. He was so intimidating in that form! He was at least Seven feet tall! He towered over me and I kept tripping up and argh." she groaned and rubbed her head, "He even invited me back for a chat..."

"Wait." Sans stopped and looked up at her, "Seriously?"

"Yes. But, I dunno... " she said, "Getting in as a house mechanic is different that being HIS mechanic ya know. Being inside him like that actually felt kinda dirty."

Sans nodded and snickered as he ordered them food, "Well, ya know. With him, you'd have a good paying job. And a secure one. And since he likes humans - for the most part. You could probably have him on a leash."

"Sans, that's not nice." she grunted and crossed her arms spinning in her stool to face the bar.

"Yea, yea. I just worry about you running around like you do. Attacks or not." he said, "Can't blame me."

Bee nodded in agreement. He had a point. She, however, wasn't sure she could handle being around him so often. He was exhausting. To peppy for her and too touchy. He had been generous and rather polite despite the situation. _And gods the mischief he caused_. But, he made her uneasy in an odd way. Her heart was still pounding from excitement. She, however, wrote it off to her anxiety, a possible celebrity crush and being surprised by his new form. She relaxed at the bar after they ate and spoke to Grillby about it. And his advice had been similar to Sans. But the way he worded it made it sound much more palatable.

"...Just... try. Perhaps it would be good for you. ...And it'd be stable... and what you do now could be... side work... be brave."

With that, Brianna gave the elemental a nod and paid for her food and drink before leaving. It would be a long night, that she was sure of.

_Gods, what have I gotten myself into._


	4. Mad March Hare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mettaton calls Bee back for an 'Emergency' repair on stage! How will she handle the stress?

"I'm sorry..." a glitching voice said.

"Gaster?" Bee's head looked around in the dark space.

She could hear his distortion, but she couldn't quite place where it was coming from. She looked down and noted the darkness wasn't just the walls surrounding her, but the floor below and the ceiling above.

_A dream? I've not dreamt like this since..._

She moved her body hearing a louder distortion and saw two floating hands beckon her. She stared at the shadow trying to make out a form as the hands disappeared into the abyss. Only to reappear in the corner of her eye. She turned her head, only to be greeted by a rather tall and slender form. She looked up and took a step back as she was greeted by a Cheshire like smile and eyes filled with sadness. She froze in place when she felt his hands grasp her shoulder.

"I'm sorry... but this was the only way... stay brave my child. You are not alone... seize the opportunity ahead." he said.

"G-gaster..." she watched as he glitched and his body distorted into a tar-like substance as he melted around her. She panicked there had to be a way out, it was only when the substance swallowed her whole that she jolted awake panting and grasped at the sheets of her bed. She looked around trying to ground herself that had felt far too real for her liking.

"Oh, it was just a dream." she sighed in relief as she laid back in her bed.

She looked at her clock and groaned. It was getting rather late. She pulled herself out of bed and did her usual routine. She put on her usual grease covered uniform and tousled her short hair to make it at least look presentable to the public. It was a day off, but she didn't know if anyone would call in an emergency run. She walked out to the kitchen and saw Papyrus counting his gold out and smiled. _That's right we have to count how much we have_. She walked over and without saying anything pulled out a rather generously filled bag and the box Mettaton had given her. Before she walked back to her room and pulled out her own jar and brought it to the table which was quite the work out considering the distance and weight of the jar.

She looked to Papyrus to see an astonished face and chuckled.

"I keep my promises Papyrus. Also, good morning. Sorry, I slept so late." she said.

"No, no! It's fine after yesterday you deserved to sleep in. Besides... you still woke up before Sans." he grumbled the last part, "I saw the picture on your Undernet profile! You and Mettaton look so cute! His screen has a heart!"

"Ugh, don't remind me... wait what screen?" she laughed softly as she carefully laid the gold all out on the table and started counting with him before Papyrus showed her the photoshopped image, "His lipstick is still stained." she pointed to the very faint mark.

Papyrus held his hands over his mouth to stifle a giggle, "Y-yea, seems like something he'd do."

Bee rolled her eyes playfully and smiled and counted away. She was rather quick at this task. She made piles of ten stacked coins and then counted those out. She had been saving since she first started her little business. She had managed to portion out what she made so she could save quite a bit back for the tickets. though if she were, to be honest, it seemed kinda moot since she got to open his chassis. She looked to Papyrus who looked a bit worried about his savings. She finished counting what she had stacked and wrote it down.

"Don't worry Pap. I'll cover you. Lord knows I'll be making enough with his publicity." she said and patted his back, "Alright?"

His eyes lit up, "You'd really do that for me?" he asked.

"Of-a course. It's a what us-a Italian-as do." she said mocking the stereotypical Italian voice for Emphasis and got a laugh out of Papyrus.

Brianna chuckled and kept on counting the coins and when she was done she added up all she had onto a piece of paper and when Papyrus was done he did the same. Brianna added them together for a total and they were both in shock. That's when they heard the familiar voice interrupt their shock.

"Wow, you got enough for two of the fancier packages."

"Sans!" Papyrus jumped.

"Well, we wanted to take you to ya dork." Bee said and booped his skull gently.

"Eh, if you want to get me anything dinner is fine." Sans chuckled and hopped up onto his chair.

Brianna shook her head, "We could do that, geez. How'd you sleep?"

"Alright, but what about you... something felt off." Sans asked.

Brianna froze and sighed, "Weird, to say the least. Gaster was there..."

Both skeleton brothers looked at each other before the looked to Bee. _So, he's showing face now eh? About time maybe we'll get answers_. Sans rubbed Bee's back gently and hummed to himself before he spoke.

"Don't worry about it. He's relatively harmless." he said and shrugged, "Don't dwell on it. Now, maybe instead of dinner we get lunch. It is way past my lunch time."

She chuckled, wondering why the smaller of the skeletons brushed that off so easily, "Alright. To Grillby's."

Once everyone was ready they headed out. Brianna had brought her equipment just incase, but in all honesty, it was only due to feeling naked without them on her person. As they made their way down the road Papyrus was talking about his training and how he was improving. He seemed very excited about the tests that were coming up at the end of the year. Brianna giggled glad to see him so enthusiastic about something other than his action figures and Mettaton's show. She had faith that he would ace the tests when it came to combat. Despite what Undyne had said, she honestly thought he would be a great Royal Guard.

When they entered the diner they found their usual seats and made their usual orders. Grillby had the TV on Mettaton's program. _Of course._ She just cradled her head in her hands. She would never escape this. And she was beginning to realize it. She could hear the two skeletons snicker as she shot them a warning glare. She sighed as she fiddled with a napkin piece she had in hand. When their drinks were brought she took a gulp as she relaxed a bit. She could hear all the chatter and it was making her anxious. She could hear everything and it was too much. And it wasn't until she saw the food in front of her that she came out of her daze.

She thanked Grillby and ate. What she didn't notice was the fact Papyrus and Sans were looking at her rather concerned. Even they knew this behavior wasn't normal for her. They looked at each other before they heard the music from Mettaton's dramatic acting series come up.

"And my darlings it seems we are having technical difficulties. I think it's time I called a new friend~ After all I cannot carry on a show like this! My switch and wheels seem stuck! It seems I need help! As you know a wonderful mechanic helped me the other day and her name is Miss. Bee let's see if I can get her on the line."

Bee heard her name and turned her head to the tv a half of a french fry sticking out of her mouth. She looked absolutely terrified. He wanted her on tv? Why? To humiliate her some more?

"Kid... just breathe. You got this." Sans said hearing her phone ring.

She quickly answered only to hear an over dramatic Mettaton on the other end.

"Oh Darling~ I need a knight in shining armor would you come and rescue me." he was over selling it. It was a ploy Brianna could tell and she wasn't amused.

"Yes! I'll be there asap." she said and hung up, "Say... nothing."

Papyrus jaw was open and Sans was suppressing chortles as he watched the human hop off her bar stool after paying for their food and running off.

"Remember! Use my rabbit holes!" Sans called as he fell off his stool in hysterics.

Brianna was quick, mainly because at the current moment she was having either an anxiety or panic attack. Due to her running though she was having a hard time telling which it was. She was having to keep her breath steady as she found one of Sans shortcuts and took a deep breath before running through and immediately she was at the Hotland sign.

She didn't slow her pace as she ran straight on, turning to go up to the stairs passing through a few empty sets and up to the Resort. She knew where the studio was due to Papyrus babbling about the show. So thankfully she knew how to get to the core and through to the studio without hassle. When she busted in though all she heard was cheering.

She froze in place as she felt the spotlight on her. She saw Mettaton in box form beckon her up, though everything was so loud she couldn't hear what he was saying. _Was he in a dress?_

She managed to make a step toward the stage; feeling her flight or fight technique kick in after a moment and she quickly ran and hopped up onto the stage fighting the flight response her anxious mind was telling her to choose.

"Darling! You made it! My knight in shining armor!" a heart appeared on his screen.

She just managed a nod as she moved behind him seeing something lodged and deliberately placed threatening to flip his switch while putting his wheel on a permanent break. She frowned as she tugged on it, but nothing. She growled and put her foot on his back and yanked as hard as she could. She heard a click as his switch was thrown or so it sounded.

There was smoke, that caused her to cover her nose as he revealed... well nothing. The crowds cheering and making pleads about him being such a tease to show his new form almost muted any sound she tried focusing on until she felt her heart pounding. No matter how hard she focused she couldn't move to run off stage. She could feel how hard her heart was pounding throughout her entire body and its rhythm only picked up it's pace causing sharp pains in her chest. She felt like she was going to pass out until she felt Mettaton touch her shoulder as he moved closer to her having to be directly in her ear.

"Go to my suite. You need a break after such an exciting event." he said.

He had noticed how pale she went and catatonic she was acting. He immediately realized his mistake and only pushed her onward in hopes the distraction would have helped and was sorely disappointed it had not. He made sure to walk her behind the curtains as his piece ended and patted her off with a smaller monster who would escort her out to his suite.

"Sorry, my dears~ No surprise today I guess you'll have to keep tuning in!"

That didn't go as he wanted it to. Humans are finicky she wasn't a natural starlet it seemed. He would have to make sure she was alright after his News Program; he was going to include a positive review of the impromptu work she did and hoped it'd make up for his bad form. He watched her walk away and sighed crossing his arms.

"That didn't work. It'll take something else. I just scared the poor darling."  
  
He actually felt guilty. He'd have to make it up to her. That is, if she was still there when he went back to his suite. He took off the fancy dress he had been wearing and changed into his red news suit and helped switch out the sets.

Brianna however, wasn't fairing as well as she got into the suite with the help of a hotel worker and held herself feeling sick. She managed to take a few steps in before her vision started fading in and out and she went blank. Her body hitting the floor with a loud thud and convulsing as she lost consciousness.

As with any anxious breakdown like this, even her fear induced sleep wasn't calm. She was having flashing memories of that weed Flowey intermittent with Gaster. Gaster Melting away as she saw Flowey change shape into something more menacing as he laughed and laughed. Something was engulfing her. A thick almost coagulated blood like substance surrounded her. She felt her breathing stop as it entered her lungs and was sure she was a goner until she woke up choking.

She gasped in deeply as she looked around, seeing Mettaton she panicked backing up and into the wall bumping her head. She blinked, her body shaking as he watched her an X appeared on his screen to show his concern. She pulled up her knees to her body and screamed into them before looking up. Her heart was still racing, but she had to fight through it.

"I-i'm okay." she managed to get out.

"No, you're not! When I walked in here your nose was bleeding. You were out cold!" He protested as he wheeled over to her and lowered his monopod down to be at her level, taking a red handkerchief from his suit out to clean her face, "Sweetheart, you're pale and I can hear your heart beating from here."

"I'm fine." she said again, she wasn't going to even start on this issue.

He frowned and nodded, understanding she didn't want to be pushed. He offered his hand to her, "Please come sit on the couch. I'll get you a Starfait." he sighed softly.

She looked up at him warily before she took his hand and stood up with his help. Her legs were shaking and she felt weak. She took a moment to close her eyes, trying to find her center. Trying to remind herself it was okay. That she was safe. Alive. That the monster in front of her was neither Gaster or Flowey. She was safe.

It helped a little. Her mind was clear at the very least and her nose had stopped bleeding. She let him escort her to the couch and her body fell back into it like a brick. She felt as heavy as he looked. The aftermath was never pretty. And the only question in her mind was; _was that me passing out or was that a seizure?_

Mettaton looked her over and texted someone to bring drinks and food to his room. He observed her energy it was as if she had attacked herself. That was very odd. Even for a human. He wheeled over and sat beside her observing how she was reacting to the current situation. He was nervous what if she lashed out in anger? What if she lost her temper? Then she spoke breaking Mettaton's thoughts.

"That entire thing was a ploy to get me out here wasn't it?" she asked her voice was soft, but to the point, like he was being scolded by a teacher.

His screen showed a blank pixel emoji, "What on earth would make you sat that?" he said, "I was in real peril up there."

"Well, one you over act. Two, that thing lodged in your switch and wheel- at the angle, it was had to have been self-inflicted." she opened her eyes and looked at him with a frown.

Mettaton glanced around, he was caught. He heard a knock on the door and shot up out of his seat, _saved by the bell_ , "I'll get that."

Brianna rolled her eyes and sighed pushing herself up as her body slowly recovered. She watched him bring over a platter. It had food and drinks on it. _Good, he owes me that much._

She was relieved when he offered her the food and drink. However, she snatched the starfait first. She gulped it down and felt absolutely rejuvenated. She wiped at her mouth setting the glass down. That had helped a lot with her energy levels.

"Thank you. But, you're not off the hook just yet." she said.

"Well, darling. I thought it would be... good promotion if maybe you had a live emergency." he lied, really it was for his own gain to get her closer again, but he wasn't going to resort to telling her unless he had to.

"You know what, forget it. I don't have time for childish games." she said and stood up.

"Fine! It was for ratings. And it worked! They tripled they haven't been that close to ten thousand in my entire career!" he spat out, and sighed, "And I wanted an excuse to get you back here. I'm so interested in humans it felt weird to just... ask you to come back."

Brianna rubbed her head. He was an absolute mess. Self-centered pain in the butt. He was kinda like Papyrus, but without the innocence or kindness. She pulled at her hair a little bit and looked at him obviously frustrated with the situation.

"You know, you could just... ask. I know humans are played out to be this scary thing, but well I'm not. I mean for stars sake I passed out from stage fright." she said moving her arms and hands motioning to the door, she groaned, "I'm guessing you're not much of a natural social butterfly when it comes to talking to someone one on one."

"Hey, now that was an insult. I'm perfectly capable of..." he thought for a moment, she was right he was so used to adoring fans and his only real friends had been his cousin and Dr. Alphys and the tension in the air was scaring him. He loved humans, yes, but even subconsciously he had his own prejudices, "I'm sorry for pushing you into that situation. I felt so awful when I saw how you looked. Then when I came in after the show finding you in such a state only made me feel worse. I'm sorry there's no excuse for it."

Brianna turned to him arms crossed and eyebrow raised. He sounded genuine. But his actions still irked her. Then she noticed how scared he looked the pixelated frown emoji on his screen giving it away.

_That's right, humans... are usually portrayed as violent..._

She eased her stance and took a breath in relaxing as she did her best to let go of any anger or anxious emotions that had welled up in her. She just shook her head and smile, "It's fine. As you said you don't get to see many humans. Just ask next time."

She walked back over and sat on the couch and grabbed the fries, "By the way - it's not me you should worry about." she chuckled, "My brothers would be more likely to hurt you."

He chuckled nervously watching her still a little startled. But he visibly relaxed and chuckled returning to his usual chipper self, "Well, I promise I'll be on my best behavior from now on." he said with a heart appearing, "Now, since I have you here I was wondering if you'd be able to answer a few questions. I may have originally be designed to kill humans, but I am absolutely fascinated by them."

"Sure, why not." she said and smiled as she ate, "Ask away."

Most of his questions were pretty standard. What it was like above, are humans all that different from monsters, about their restaurants and other entertainment vehicles. Which she was happy to tell him all she could. Even about the newer tech that was above. Which he seemed delighted to hear about. He really did get excited about the human world. She hummed as he asked more and more. And it got to a point where she wasn't able to answer everything he wanted to know. Which he understood, but he was more than happy to have the new information that he did. It was amusing to her. She forgot that her world was just as new to them as their world was new to her.

She finished her food and shifted pulling out her cellphone and noting both Sans and Papyrus had been texting her.

"Oh, muttonchops. They're worried I may have to head home. Soon." she said, "Guess they saw the show on tv. We were having lunch at Grillby's - he had your program on. I knew you were gonna call before my phone rang."

"Well that explains the quick response." he said, "But before you go. I do have one last question. This one is serious. And it's the least I can offer with how discourteous I was before."

"Sure shoot." she said looking at him.

"Would you be willing to work as my Personal Technical Staff? With this body and all the stunts, I do I can't always depend on Alphys. And no you wouldn't have to work on stage in front of a live audience or even camera unless it is absolutely needed." he said, "You don't have to answer now, but please. Do get back to me by the end of the week."

He carefully pulled out a card from a little case sitting on his end table and handed it over to her. She looked down at it. It had a number and of course an illustration of his box form. She flipped it over in her fingers a few times and looked up at him.

He's serious about this...

"Alright." she said and stood up grabbing her bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

Mettaton rolled over to her, "Now, let me escort you down stairs dear. Wouldn't want to risk anyone giving you trouble." he shook a finger at her before offering her a hand. He knew she could hold her own, but he knew how passionate some fans could get and didn't want her overwhelmed again. She still looked rough, but thankfully she was no longer as pale as she was before.

The walk down was quiet, mainly because he couldn't quite emote like he wanted to. But his screen on occasion would flash a heart, as he thought about having a human friend that could help him reach the goals he was aiming for excited to him. Once his screen reverted back to his signature M that usually displayed he stopped in front of the resort doors. Once he was sure she would be able to make it back home he held open the door for her.

"Now please, if you need anything let me know!" He said leaning a bit as if to look at her, "After today I owe you that job and much more. I am sincerely sorry about that."

"It's alright. Thank you for the food. I do appreciate it." she said.

Mettaton pulled up an exclamation point. "Stay right here! I I know what I can do."

Mettaton wheeled off to the front desk and quickly moved behind it pulling something out from a locked safe. He was careful in handling the silk bag counting out some gold coins making sure she was paid in full and then some for her troubles. He tightened the bag stopping as the full realization of the situation hit.

He had a human friend. An actual human. The thing he idolized and wanted to be like. His screen lit up with a heart he could barely contain himself. Alphys would be so proud - he hoped. He realized she was still waiting and quickly wheeled out to her. He handed her the bag of gold before leaning on the door.

"Remember I need an answer at the end of the week sweetheart." he said rather smugly, "I'll see you soon."

With that he watched her leave. He put his hands together waiting until she was out of earshot and sight to wheel around the fountain as fast as he possibly could almost squealing with excitement. He even lost balance and fell flat on his screen a couple of times. No one knew why of course and he planned to keep it that way as he made his way back up to the suite he owned at the resort.

_And she's not unattractive either. I certainly lucked out! Now, to put some of the knowledge she gave me to use._

He hummed and beeped a tune to himself as he began rearranging some paperwork. This place needed an overhaul in a few places. As did his show. He felt absolutely inspired and he was going to put it to good use.

However, the other half was still in shock by the time she reached her home in Snowdin. Her fingers and lips were blue as she had struggled to get in due to how heavy the snow was today. When she did finally get inside she was greeted by a screeching Papyrus who apparently saw what happened on the screen.

Brianna did her best to explain what happened and how generous and apologetic Mettaton had been afterward. Which calmed down the taller skeleton quite a bit; though he wasn't all too happy with his idol and it showed. Brianna chuckled as she headed to her 'room' which was really just a part of the garage that they had connected to the house and renovated for her. She got into something more comfortable throwing her clothes into the wash before heading back and plopping down on the couch beside Papyrus.

"Oh, he offered me a permanent job there too." she said.

A long screech of excitement was heard, "OH MY GOODNESS! THAT'S PERFECT! SO WE WERE RIGHT HE WANTED TO OFFER YOU A JOB."

"Papyrus volume please." she said covering her ears before she nodded, "And yes, he did."

"You have to accept!" Papyrus said excitedly.

Brianna snickered as she watched him practically bounce in the couch, "I will, but I'm going to make him wait. I may have forgiven him, but I do think it's only fair."

"You're just as bad as Sans. That's so cruel." Papyrus said shocked his innocent sister would be so devious.

"Well, do you blame me?"

"No, I don't." Papyrus sighed and looked over to her, "I'm just so proud of you! You're really excelling. Even The King himself hasn't bothered you... then again he might not know..."

Brianna nodded and looked up at him, "Yea, Mettaton seemed surprised that I was still in one piece."

Papyrus nodded, "Yes... I am too if I'm honest. I wonder if he knows and doesn't care or doesn't know and if you're outed there might be a problem. I hope Mettaton doesn't make you work on his tv shows."

"He promised not to due to my incident." she sighed in relief, "I'm going to keep on the down low Papyrus just in case."

Papyrus hugged her tightly, "Good. I don't know what we'd do if we lost you."

Brianna chuckled softly and hugged him back, "Raise hell probably." She chuckled, "Undyne never answered as to why she said I was useless to the king. Maybe it's best we don't get an answer, though."

Papyrus nodded, "Agreed. Now. You had a rough night you should get some rest... how's the pain?"

"Seething as ever. But, it's alright." she stood up and stretched, "Sleep sounds good. See you tomorrow Pap."

Brianna walked out of the living room and to her little access tunnel that led from the house to her part of the garage when she noted Sans standing there. He was drinking out of a restaurant styled Ketchup bottle. The sight made her giggled as she waved to him.

"You going to give me a speech too?" she teased.

"Nah, I heard the whole thing. You did good Bee. And I agree, that is savage making the star of the underground wait. But, I'd do the same thing." he said and looked up at her, "Ya passed out? Any odd dreams again?"

She nodded, "But, it was from anxiety I think. Nothing important... Just Gaster and Flowey duking it out."

Sans nodded and patted her back, "Yea. No way that's possible. Just get some rest and focus on resting tomorrow."

"Alright. Night."

With that Sans watched her walk to her space and sighed turning and walking to his own room. Lying was getting easier for him. Which was both good and bad; in a sense. He looked up at the ceiling before he plopped down on his bed. He rolled over onto his left side facing the wall and groaned.

_Oh, my gods Gaster why did you curse me with this power. I could write some crazy fanfiction with Alphys with this gift ya gave me... but better me than Pap. He'd go nuts._

Sans rolled onto his back staring at the ceiling. Flowey and Gaster fighting in the in between meant Flowey was onto Gaster and wanted control over his little bug fix. And if Flowey won he knew Bee would be worse than Frisk on a Genocide route because of her age and the fact she could use magic. Although she never did. She was usually able to talk her way out of most fights.

_I really can't deal with this. I gotta watch out for Frisk._

He switched off his eyes as if he was closing them to block out the light. He needed a good night's sleep. Maybe two nights sleep. He wished he could contact Gaster, but it was nearly impossible at this point. And since Frisk couldn't reset he couldn't get that little amount of time needed to sneak into the background and do so. He groaned again as he shifted and tossed and turned. He couldn't get comfortable.

_Ugh, maybe Mettaton can help her out... he would be the perfect antivirus considering... I just hope Flowey doesn't physically try anything. She can handle dreams. That might be my laziness speaking, though, I don't like getting too involved in these matters._

His thoughts were restless. It just wouldn't stop. He was afraid. This could be their last chance for breaking the barrier for good. If they failed... that would be it. He sat up, and got out of bed.

"That's it I'm going to get food. Maybe Bee's casserole from last night is still left." he drug himself out and noted Papyrus dozing near Bee's door. He stared at his brother, "Pap, she'll be fine. Her nightmares and night terrors have lessened. She'll be okay."

"I know, I just worry. She's so small." He said looking up at his brother, "I hope she takes the job with Mettaton she deserves it. She works so hard! Harder than I or you."

"Wow Pap, it's almost like you got over yourself." Sans teased.

"I'm still great! Just there can be more than one great Person that's all!" Papyrus said standing up and crossing his arms, "Now I'm off to bed! Goodnight!"

_Man, I don't know what to do with those two... Papyrus and Bee will be the reasons I put myself into a scientific lab._


End file.
